Rapid urbanisation and climate change are two of the major challenges of our time. People living in cities' poorest areas are agents of change both in terms of climate mitigation and adaptation. This new publication explores the intertwining nature of circular economy, urbanisation and poverty. It looks at how existing approaches of circularity and the informal economy can be taken up and reinforced to find solutions to these challenges.

Cities Alliance has been supporting cities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America to address informality while supporting inclusive and sustainable urban growth.

This publication examines how circular economy and climate mitigation actions can improve socioeconomic conditions in developing cities, and the role of an integrated, inclusive city planning approach.

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This report adds a GlobalABC Roadmap for the Arab region, covering 22 countries. This wide approach was taken thanks to UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure’s vision to facilitate a step towards the achievement of the decarbonisation of the whole region. It builds on GlobalABC global and regional roadmaps for buildings and construction, tailoring its strategic approach and examples for operationalisation and implementation to the specific context of the Arab region. A distinctive feature of this roadmap is its response to diverse energy-related status quos in the buildings and construction sector across the region and across the eight activities structuring each GlobalABC roadmap. Different starting points call for different strategies and focal points. For this reason, guidance in this document is presented like a menu for early starters, moderately advanced, or advanced countries. This means Arab countries can pick the most suitable guidance relative to how advanced they evaluate themselves relative to an activity.

This paper organizes, summarizes and collates the findings, guidelines and recommendations of global agencies mandated to identify the outcomes buildings are to deliver for people, the planet and prosperity. The member nations of the UN have, almost without exception, through the Paris Agreement and the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), committed to identified goals and signed, legally binding agreements. In this paper, buildings delivering the outcomes required to achieve those goals are referred to as ‘Paris-aligned’ - they deliver the outcomes the world has been informed are needed and agreed to pursue under the Paris Agreement.

Download the paper here.

This briefing by the European Environment Agency explores the nexus between climate change adaptation and mitigation, and the health and social justice aspects of cooling Europe’s buildings. It focuses specifically on residential buildings. The briefing is based on a literature review by Ramboll commissioned by the EEA, discussions held with members of the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet), input from individual experts and information from other EEA publications.

Read the briefing here

World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA)’s fifth Climate and Energy Benchmark measures and ranks the world’s 50 most influential buildings companies on their just and equitable low-carbon transition. 

The Buildings Benchmark is the second comprehensive assessment of companies in the sector that combines the ACT and just transition methodologies to provide an overall score and ranking. By considering social and decarbonisation issues together, the benchmark mobilises stronger action needed to hold companies accountable on contributing towards a low-carbon transition that leaves no one behind.

Download the insight report here

The report comprises two parts, published separately: broader technical guidance and a best practice guidance for concrete applications.

The technical guidance starts with an overview of existing EU-level policies and standards relating to adaptation in buildings. This is followed by a summary of the current state of structural design building standards at a European and national level, with a focus on climate resilience in buildings. It then provides an overview of climate vulnerabilities and risk assessment for buildings, and a possible method for rating the climate resilience of buildings.

The best practice guidance:

• Provides technical guidance on climate-adaptation measures that are relevant for both new and existing buildings across the different climatic zones of Europe;
• Presents adaptation solutions for the climate risks that affect the built environment most;
• Demonstrates the actions that can be taken to improve building performance. This offers strategies for owners, operators, users, policy makers, engineers, architects and insurers.

Download the technical guidance here and the best practice guidance here!

This report - Sri Lanka Roadmap for Sustainable Housing and Construction 2020 – 2050 - presents the findings of the Sustainable Building Construction Country Assessment for Sri Lanka (SBC-CA) and a Roadmap for Sustainable Housing and Construction and achieving NDCs in the construction industry in Sri Lanka. It examines the current status, and potential opportunities and challenges for adopting Sustainable Building Construction (SBC) practices and policies. The Country Assessment and the Roadmap are structured on the approach laid out by the ‘Global Alliance for Building Construction (GlobalABC) Roadmap for Buildings and Construction 2020-2050, where 8 Action Areas have been identified for the transition towards sustainability in the Construction Sector: Urban planning, New Buildings, Existing Buildings, Building Operations, Appliances and Systems, Materials, Resilience, and Clean Energy.

Download the roadmap here.

Climate change is landing blow after blow upon humanity and the planet, an onslaught that will only intensify in the coming years even if the world begins to bring down greenhouse gas emissions. UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2022: Too Little, Too Slow – Climate adaptation failure puts world at risk finds that the world must urgently increase efforts to adapt to these impacts of climate change.

Read more here

The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR) is a flagship publication of the UNEP-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC). The Buildings-GSR provides an annual snapshot of the progress of the buildings and construction sector on a global scale and reviews the status of policies, finance, technologies, and solutions to monitor whether the sector is aligned with the Paris Agreement goals. It also provides stakeholders with evidence to persuade policymakers and the overall buildings and construction community to take action.

What is new in the 2022 Buildings-GSR? 

• Buildings and construction: disruptions and challenges facing the buildings sector in 2022 
• Global Building Carbon Tracker: Are we on track towards the Paris Agreement Goals?
• Updates on building codes and building decarbonisation in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
• Status of investment in building energy efficiency
• Deep dive on:
  • Africa (regional focus)
  • Building materials (topical focus)

The 2022 Buildings-GSR finds that 

• Despite a substantial increase in investment and success at a global level lowering the energy intensity of buildings, the sector’s total energy consumption and CO2 emissions increased in 2021 above pre-pandemic levels. Buildings energy demand increased by around 4% from 2020 to 135 EJ – the largest increase in the last 10 years. CO2 emissions from buildings operations have reached an all-time high of around 10 GtCO2, around a 5% increase from 2020 and 2% higher than the previous peak in 2019. 
• The buildings and construction sector is not on track to achieve decarbonization by 2050. And the gap between the actual climate performance of the sector and the decarbonization pathway is widening.
• Global energy price volatility and rising interest rates are likely to hamper investment in building decarbonization by governments, households, and businesses. 

Download our 2022 Buildings-GSR and read more!

Watch our video "Is the Buildings and Construction Sector on Track to decarbonize? 2022 Buildings-GSR." 

Cities need to take a systems approach if they are to develop urban infrastructure that will achieve net-zero carbon and climate-resilience goals. This report focuses on such a systems approach at the urban scale. Cities are responsible for more than 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with transport and buildings being among the largest contributors. Cities will also feel the greatest impact from climate change, with 70% of the global population predicted to be living in urban areas by 2050, and 95% of this urban expansion set to take place in the developing world. The report outlines case studies that provide in-depth explanation of how net-zero carbon strategies and infrastructure for climate resilience can be developed by involving all stakeholders, from companies and public institutions to the general public.